A New Friend
by suchaphangirl
Summary: Basically, Dan gets bullied at school by his ex-best friends Chris and PJ, mostly Chris. Dan wants to give up on life, he hates everything. But then Phil comes into the picture and tries to help Dan. This was going to be a one-shot but I've decided to write more to it! Phan & Kickthestickz will be the main pairing but there could be kickthefire and other pairings in there too!
1. Chapter 1

A New Friend:

It's safe to say that going to school was Dan Howell's least favorite activity. He hated everything about school. He hated the homework; he hated the tests and quizzes. But, most of all, he hated the people. The students were horrible to him and the teachers never did anything about it. Dan knew the exact reason why he was treated so wrongfully, and that was because he was gay. He had come out four years ago. He used to have tons of friends, but they all left him when they found out who he really was.

Dan was now in his last year of school and would be graduating in a few months. He couldn't wait to get out of high school. He wanted to get as far away from this place as he possibly could.

Another weekend passed, another week started. Dan was dreading going to school. He hated Monday's.

Dan was just now walking into the school. He bit his lip as he looked around. Luckily, there weren't as many people around. He always tried to get to school early so he could get to his locker quickly and head straight to class. But, unfortunately, two of his ex-best friends were already there. Dan groaned as he saw them. He was about to turn around and walked away, but he stopped dead in his tracks when he heard his name being called.

"Ah, hello Howell." Dan turned around to see Chris and PJ.

"What do you want?" Dan asked in a not-so-caring tone. Chris glared at him.

"I think you should watch how you talk to us." He snapped. He grabbed a hold of Dan's shirt and pushed him against the locker. Dan gasped. He looked over at PJ, who was just staring at him.

"Come on guys, why do you have to do this?" Dan asked. "I'm still the same person, I swear!"

"Still the same person? Yeah, right!" Chris yelled. Dan sighed.

"I'm still me. I…I still have the same personality. I just…I happen to prefer boys over girls." He said.

"I'm sure you've thought about me and Peej as more than just friends." Chris said.

"What? No! Never!" Dan yelled. "Please, let go of me. You're hurting me." He said. Chris's grip only got tighter.

"Chris…" Chris and Dan both turned their heads when PJ spoke up, for the first time.

"What?" Chris snapped. "I'm in the middle of something here."

"I-I know but…Come on, let's just go. Leave him be. He's not worth our time." PJ said. He looked over at Dan and bit his lip nervously. Dan stared at him with shock. What the fuck? Was PJ actually helping Dan? Dan took deep breaths. "Chris. Please, let's just go." PJ warned. Chris sighed and finally let go of Dan, making him drop to the floor. Chris looked at him and laughed, shaking his head.

"Pathetic, absolutely pathetic. Can't believe I was ever friends with you." Chris said. Dan looked up at him with sad eyes. Chris grabbed PJ's arm and led him away from Dan. Dan's eyes began to water up.

"Hey!" Dan looked up when he heard footsteps walking towards him.

"Oh, please…Not you too!" Dan begged. The boy frowned.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I saw what happened." The boy said. "Hear, let me help you up." He said. He held out a hand for Dan. Dan shook his head and hid his face in his arms.

"Just go away." Dan said. He whipped away his tears. The boy bent down so that he could see Dan better.

"Please, I want to help you." He said. Dan glared at him.

"I don't need your fucking sympathy!" He yelled.

"They were bullying you because you're gay, right?" The boy asked asked. Dan stared at him. "I'm gay, too." He said proudly. Dan scoffed. He shook his head and slowly sat up.

"You're only saying that because you want me to feel better." Dan said.

"I'd be lying if I said that wasn't true but…I really am gay. I'm new here. I transferred to this school today because I got bullied at my old school for being gay." The boy explained said. Dan looked at him.

"You came to the wrong school to get a fresh start." He said.

"So I can see." The boy said. He held out his hand again.

"Come on, you need to get off this floor before people start staring." He said. Dan finally took his hand. The boy pulled Dan up from the ground. Dan looked at him. "Oh, my name is Phil, by the way." He said.

"Phil?" Dan asked. He nodded. "I like that name." Dan said. "My name is Dan."

"Oh, is that short for Daniel?" Phil asked. Dan nodded.

"Yes, but I hate the name Daniel so I like to go by Dan." He said. Dan looked up at Phil and bit his lip as he looked at him. Phil was slightly shorter than him. He had pale skin with black hair and the brightest of blue eyes. Dan had never seen someone so beautiful in his life before.

"Dan? Hello?" Phil waved his hand in front of Dan's face.

"Stop that!" Dan said as he pushed Phil's hand away. Phil chuckled.

"You zoned out on me. I had to get your attention somehow."

"You definitely got my attention." Dan mumbled.

"Sorry?" Phil asked. Dan looked at him.

"Um…Nothing." He said. "So, um…This is really awkward of me to ask but…Do you think we could be friend's maybe?" Dan asked. Phil smiled. "Totally understandable if you don't. I mean, I wouldn't want to be my friend either." He said. Phil rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Are you always like this?" He asked. Dan looked at him. "Of course I'll be your friend!" Phil said with excitement.

"Oh thank God." Dan said. He looked at Phil and bit his lip. "Thanks for…This. Everybody else would have just left me lying on the floor." Dan said. Phil frowned.

"Well, I'm not like everyone else." He said. Dan smiled bigger.

"No, you're not." He said. "Phil?" Dan asked.

"What?" Phil asked as he looked at Dan.

"I think this is a start to a beautiful friendship." Dan said. Phil laughed at him.


	2. Chapter 2

Two months have passed since Dan and Phil met. They were best friends now. They did everything together. It didn't take long before rumors started spreading. Almost everyone in school thought they were dating. Dan didn't care though, and neither did Phil. They ignored the others. Dan hadn't been this happy in a long time. The only thing that he had to worry about was Chris. He didn't mind getting beat up, he was used to it. He was only worried that Chris would try to hurt Phil, and that was the last thing that he wanted. Phil was so innocent. Most kids seemed to like him.

It was a Friday afternoon. School had just ended. Dan was leaving class to go meet up with Phil. But he was stopped when someone grabbed his arm and pulled him into the bathroom. Dan looked up and was shocked when he saw PJ.

"What the hell are you doing, PJ?" Dan asked.

"Please keep your voice down. I don't want anyone to hear us." PJ said. He pulled Dan further into the bathroom.

"Why aren't you with Chris?" Dan asked. PJ sighed.

"I'm actually meeting him. I'm sure he'll be fine without me for a few minutes. Besides, he's probably with his girlfriend anyways." He said. Dan frowned. He could have sworn that there was sadness in PJ's voice. He immediately knew that something was wrong. PJ used to be Dan's best friend. He knew him inside and out. He could tell whenever something was wrong or when something was bothering him.

"Okay, so why did you pull me into the bathroom?" Dan asked. "If Chris finds out you're talking to me, he'll kill us both."

"I know, but I have to ask you about something." PJ said.

"Peej, you haven't spoken to me properly in about two years. What could you possibly need to ask me?" Dan asked.

"How did you come out?" PJ asked. Dan stared at him with shock. "To your parents?"

"Don't tell me this is going where I think its going." Dan said. PJ looked down at his hands.

"I'm…I am gay." He said. Dan's eyes went wide with shock. "When you told me and Chris, and Alex and Charlie…I thought, maybe I could finally come out. But, then I saw the way Chris reacted." PJ said. "But I don't think I can hide it anymore. I have to tell somebody." He said. He took a deep breath. "I want to tell my parents but I'm scared." PJ said. He finally looked at Dan again. "Will you please help me?" He begged.

"Maybe we shouldn't talk about this here." Dan said nervously. "I'm sorry, but I can't help you." He said. PJ's eyes began to water up. Dan looked at him one last time before he walked out of the bathroom, almost immediately feeling terrible for leaving PJ there. PJ slowly backed up against the wall. He slid down it and hid his face in his hands as tears began to fall out of his eyes.

Meanwhile, Chris was standing by his car in the parking lot. He was waiting for PJ to come out. He was leaning against his car while texting on his phone. But he looked up when he heard someone call his name. He saw his and PJ's friend, Alex Day.

"Chris, I need to talk to you." Alex said as he walked up to them.

"Have you seen PJ?" Chris asked. "I've been waiting here for like 15 minutes." He said.

"Actually…I have seen him." Alex said. "I saw him going into the bathroom with Howell." He said.

"No way." Chris said with shock. "You must be blind or something."

"I'm not blind! I saw him!" Alex yelled. "I wouldn't lie to you about something like this."

"Are they both still in there?" Chris asked. "I'm gonna kill Howell." He said.

"I saw Howell walk out but I'm pretty PJ's still in there." Alex said. Chris quickly pushed passed Alex and made his way back into the school. He immediately went straight to the bathroom. He walked in and sighed when he saw PJ. PJ was just now finishing washing his hands. He had dried his tears. PJ looked up d someone walk in and gasped when he saw Chris.

"What the fuck is taking you so long? I've been waiting for like 10 minutes by my car." Chris snapped.

"I'm sorry…I…I was talking to a teacher about homework I missed." PJ lied. Chris walked over to him.

"Don't fucking lie to me. Alex told me he saw you in here with Howell." Chris said. PJ's eyes went wide with shock. "What were you doing talking with him?"

"I…" PJ started to say. Chris shook his head.

"We'll talk about this later." He said. "I'm picking up Lexie and then we're going to my house." Chris said. He grabbed PJ's arm and started to lead the way out of the bathroom. PJ quickly pulled his arm back and stepped away from Chris.

"I'm not going." PJ said. Chris looked at him with shock.

"Excuse me?" He asked. PJ took a deep breath.

"You don't need me anyways!" He yelled. "All you care about is Lexie! It's like I'm completely invisible when we're hanging out with her!"

"Peej, that's not true." Chris said. PJ's eyes started to water up.

"I'd much rather walk home." He said. "We can hang out when you're not with her."

"You're actually making me chose between my girlfriend and my best friend?" Chris asked with shock. He shook his head. "I don't need you anyways! You might as well be friends with Howell again!" Chris yelled. He turned around and stormed out of the bathroom. PJ quickly whipped away a tear from his eyes. He felt proud for standing up to Chris for once, but he knew that Chris was angry with him, and that's the last thing he wanted. PJ had been in love with Chris for three years. He knew he could never ever tell Chris, because he knew how Chris felt about gay people. PJ was happy just being his friend, but he hated that Chris now had a girlfriend. Everything had completely changed since he started dating Lexie.

About a week has passed since Chris and PJ got into an argument. PJ hadn't spoken to Chris since then. He was completely avoiding him. Chris had tried calling him a few times and had sent him a few texts. He had even tried apologizing to him. PJ was way too hurt to forgive Chris so easily. But ever since he started avoiding Chris, he didn't have anyone. Alex and Charlie were on Chris's side. Not even Dan was talking to him.

It was another Friday. School had literally just ended. PJ had finally told his parents that he was gay and they weren't too happy with him. His parents have been arguing over it so he's been trying to avoid being at home as much as he could.

It was around 4 o' clock when PJ was sitting all by himself on a bench at the town park. Dan and Phil were just now entering the park. As soon as they arrived, Dan noticed PJ sitting on the bench.

"What is PJ doing here?" Dan asked. Phil looked at him.

"Is he a friend?" He asked. Dan looked at him.

"He used to be. You know Chris, the one I told you about?" Phil nodded. "Chris turned PJ against me. But yes, PJ used to be my best friend." Dan said. He took a deep breath. "I'm gonna go talk to him. He looks upset." Dan said. Phil nodded.

"Good luck." He said. Dan smiled. He nervously made his way over to PJ.

"PJ?" Dan asked. PJ quickly whipped away a tear that fell out of his eyes. He looked up and was shocked when he saw Dan.


	3. Chapter 3

"What are…What are you doing here?" PJ asked nervously.

"I could ask you the same thing." Dan said. PJ looked down at his hands. "Okay, I'll go first…I'm here with Phil; we come here every weekend to hang out. It's just one of the places we go to get away from people. No one from school ever comes here, besides you." Dan said. "So, what are you doing here? I thought you'd be with Chris?" Dan asked. PJ glared at him. Normally he wouldn't mind people assuming he was with Chris, but since they weren't talking, it annoyed him. But, it mostly annoyed him because he missed talking to Chris. He hated that they weren't talking.

"I may be his friend but that doesn't mean I'm always with Chris, you know?" PJ snapped. Dan threw his hands up in surrender. PJ sighed. "Sorry for snapping, it's just…I'm not exactly talking to him at the moment." He said. "Alex told him that I was talking to you and Chris wasn't too pleased." PJ said. He rolled his eyes. "Then we got in a fight about his stupid girlfriend." He said. Dan raised his eyebrows.

"So, that's why you're here?" Dan asked. PJ shook his head.

"I told my parents." He said. Dan stared at him. "That I'm gay." Dan's eyes went wide.

"What? You did? How'd they take it?" He asked.

"They're not very happy with me at the moment." PJ said. Dan frowned. "They've been arguing ever since I told them. So, I've just been trying to stay out of the house as much as I can. It's easier that way." He said. "It's been a bit boring though. I haven't really had anyone to hang out with, since Alex and Charlie aren't talking to me because Chris is mad at me for not talking to him." PJ said. He let out a sigh. Dan bit his lip. PJ finally looked at him again. "Sorry for ranting. I do that a lot." He said. Dan laughed.

"It's cool." He said. "Look, if you want to…You can always hang out with Phil and me." Dan said.

"No, I'm fine. I don't want to bother you two." PJ said. Dan chuckled.

"You won't." He said. "It'll be fun. I know we haven't exactly hung out in like four years or something but I kind of miss you."

"Honestly, I'm fine being by myself. It gives me time to think." PJ said. "I'm no fun to be with anyways. Trust me; Chris even says I get annoying sometimes." He said. Dan blinked a few times.

"Hold on. Let me get this straight…" Dan started to say. PJ looked at him and raised his eyebrows. "Chris is supposed to be your best friend but he tells you that you're annoying?" Dan asked with slight shock. PJ shrugged his shoulders. "That doesn't seem right." Dan said. "Doesn't that bother you?"

"Well, we do hang out quite a lot. I'm surprised we haven't gotten sick of each other." PJ said. "But I know he cares about me, as a friend." PJ quickly added. Dan sighed and nodded.

"Come on, we won't mind if you hang out with us." He said. "It'll be fun. I want you to meet Phil."

"Dan, I said no." PJ said. Dan bit his lip as he stared at him.

"PJ." He said. "What are you so afraid? Does it have to do with Chris?"

"People already think you and Phil are dating." PJ said. "I don't want to start hanging out with you again, people will start spreading rumors and then Chris will find out and he'll me forever and I can't let that happen." He said. "I don't' want to lose him as a friend. He means everything to me." PJ said.

"Ouch." Dan said. He let out another sigh. "Peej, you shouldn't be ashamed." Dan said. "And you should be able to hang out with whoever you want to, Jesus. Chris doesn't have to be your only friend." He said.

"He isn't! I have Alex and Charlie." PJ said.

"Obviously not or else you'd be hanging out with them." He said. PJ sighed.

"I hate my life." He mumbled. Dan took a deep breath.

Eventually PJ gave in and decided to join Dan and Phil. It was both weird and awkward but also felt amazing for Dan to be hanging out with PJ again. He had missed him a lot. Dan could tell that it was awkward for both Phil and PJ, but they seemed to get along with each other, and that made him happy.

After a few hours of hanging out at the park, Phil had to leave as his parents gave him a curfew and couldn't stay out much longer. Dan and PJ were sitting under a tree, next to each other. It was around 8 o' clock now. Time had gone by too fast. Neither of them wanted to leave, especially PJ. He would probably get yelled at by his parents for being out so late, and he wasn't looking forward to that. PJ liked spending time with Dan; it had been so long since they've properly hung out with each other. He missed it.

"You know…" Dan started to say. PJ looked at him. It had been a few minutes since either of them said anything. Phil only left an hour ago. "If you don't want to go home, you can always spend a few nights at my house." Dan said. PJ bit his lip. "My parents wouldn't mind." Dan said. "They support gay people. Well, mum does. Dad is still getting used to the idea. My brother doesn't really care. He never says anything about so I assume that means that he's okay with it." He said. He shrugged his shoulders and looked over at PJ. "You won't be a bother to anyone." Dan said.

"I…I don't know, Dan." PJ said. Dan rolled his eyes.

"Stop worrying so much, Peej! You're worse than me. Come on, just a few nights. Or just for the weekend if you want." He said. "It'll be fun! Just like old times!" PJ looked at him.

"Fine." He said in defeat. "But only for a few nights!" Dan smiled.

"Well, come on then! Let's go get your stuff from your house!" Dan said with excitement. He stood up from the ground.

"Shouldn't you ask your parents if it's okay first?" PJ asked. Dan reached a hand out for him. PJ smiled and took it. Dan pulled him up from the ground.

"Nah, they'll be cool with it." He said. PJ raised his eyebrows. "It's the weekend anyways." Dan said. "Besides, mum will be excited that I have a new friend over. I think she's getting sick of seeing Phil all the time." He said. He let out a laugh.

It only took about 20 minutes for Dan and PJ to arrive at PJ's house. They were now standing on his porch. PJ bit his lip and looked over at Dan. Dan blinked a few times as they stared at each other.

"Um…" PJ said nervously. "Maybe you should wait outside. I'll only be a few minutes." PJ said.

"Oh, okay." Dan said. "Take as long as you want." He said. PJ smiled. He took a deep breath before he finally walked inside his house He nervously looked around. He could hear noises from the kitchen, which meant that was where his mum was at.

"Mum?" PJ called. He nervously walked into the kitchen. His mum immediately turned around.

"Where the hell have you been? You should have been home hours ago!" She yelled.

"Mum, I…" PJ started to say. She shook her head.

"You could have at least called us to let you know that you were staying out!" She yelled. PJ blinked a few times. He was rather confused as to why his mum was suddenly caring about him, caring about where he's been. It's been nearly a week since she's said one nice thing to him or since they've had a proper conversation with each other. She barely even looked at him. PJ was glad that his mum was finally speaking to him again, but he was just very confused. He hoped that his mum would keep talking to him. He hated it when his mum ignored him.

"Mum, I've been staying out for the past week." PJ said. "You didn't care any other day." He said.

"That's not true." She said. PJ let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled. "I'm going to stay at Dan's." He said.

"Dan? Dan as in Dan Howell? The kid you used to hang out with?" She asked. PJ nodded. "I thought you and Chris stopped hanging out with him a few years ago because he was gay or something?" His mum asked.

"We started hanging out again today." PJ said. "I want to stay at his house for a few days." He said. "I just came home to get a few things." He said. He looked up at his mum. "Just thought I'd let you know." He turned around and ran up to his bedroom before his mum could say anything else to him. He quickly packed a small bag. PJ left the house without saying another word to his mum. Dan was sitting on the porch steps, and was texting Phil on his phone. He looked up as soon as he heard PJ. He stood up. PJ looked at him and bit his lip.

"You ready to go then?" Dan asked. PJ nodded. "Okay, I called my mum. She said it was okay for you to come over."

"Okay then. Let's go before my dad gets home from work." PJ said. Dan frowned. "It's a long story. I'll tell you later." PJ said.

"Alright." Dan said. "It's a good thing we live close to each other." He said.

"Yeah, tell me about it." PJ said. Dan laughed.


	4. Chapter 4

PJ had spent the whole entire weekend at Dan's. They almost didn't leave each other's sides. It was just like old times when they used to hang out with each other. Dan had missed hanging out with PJ.

But now, it was Monday, the last day PJ would be staying at Dan's. Dan really didn't want him to go back home. He liked having PJ over. PJ was fun to hang out with and Dan wasn't so bored when Phil wasn't with him.

Dan had woken up at 6:00 a.m. As soon as he woke up, he walked out of his bedroom and went downstairs to his living room, where PJ was sleeping on the couch bed. Dan let out a yawn as he walked into the living room. He looked up and smiled when he saw PJ asleep on the couch. He quietly walked over to the bed and sat down. He bit his lip nervously.

"Peej, wake up." Dan said. He gently shook him a few times. PJ groaned. He turned so that his back was facing Dan. Dan raised his eyebrows. "Don't ignore me. Come on, wake up! We gotta get ready for school!" Dan shook him some more. PJ shrugged him off and covered himself with the blanket he was using.

"Go away!" PJ mumbled. Dan rolled his eyes.

"You're very annoying in the morning." He said.

"Thank you." PJ said. Dan laughed. He reached over and grabbed the blanket and pulled it off of PJ. "Hey!" PJ yelled. He pouted and looked at Dan. "It's cold!"

"Well, get up and get dressed and it wouldn't be so cold." Dan said with a smirk.

"I don't wanna get up!" PJ whined. He finally looked at Dan. Dan smiled.

"This sounds extremely creepy but you look adorable when you're tired." He said. PJ blushed.

"It's not creepy…We're both gay." He said. Dan laughed. They stared at each other. Dan took a deep breath before he slowly leaned down and captured PJ's lips with his own. PJ's eyes went wide with shock. Before he had the chance to kiss back, Dan quickly pulled away. Dan stared at PJ with shock.

"Oh my God…I'm so sorry, PJ…" Dan scooted away from him. PJ slowly sat up. "I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have kissed you." PJ stared at him.

"Dan…" PJ started to say. Dan shook his head.

"I know how you feel about Chris. God damnit." He said.

"Dan, please, calm down." PJ said. Dan looked at him. "It's okay." PJ said. He took a deep breath. "Yes, I do love Chris and I wish that I could be with him." He said. "But I know how he feels about gay people. Me and Chris will never happen." Dan stared at him. "I like hanging out with Chris and I really do love him, he's been my best friend for years but hanging out with you is a lot more fun." PJ said. Dan couldn't help but smile. "You make me feel wanted."

"That's because you are wanted." Dan said. PJ took a deep breath.

"Can you kiss me again?" He asked. Dan smiled.

"Gladly." He said. He reached over, grabbed a hold of PJ and then he gently pulled him closer and kissed him without any hesitation. PJ smiled into the kiss and kissed him back. Dan immediately pulled away from PJ when he heard a cough. He looked up and gasped when he saw his mum.

"Mum, I…" Dan started to say. He scooted away from PJ.

"Daniel, you know I do support you being gay but I warned you about this." His mum said.

"I know. I'm really sorry. I just got carried away. It won't happen again." Dan said. PJ blinked a few times.

"Hurry up and get dressed. You have less than 40 minutes until you need to leave for school. I don't want you to be late." His mum said. She turned around and walked out of the living room. Dan sighed.

"I'm sorry about that." Dan said. PJ looked at him.

"What was that all about?" He asked. Dan bit his lip.

"Mum and dad do support me being gay but they don't…" He started to say.

"I get it. They support you but they don't want to see it." PJ said. Dan looked at him and nodded.

"But seriously, we do have to get ready." He said. PJ groaned.

"I am so not looking forward to school." He said.

"Me either." Dan said. He stood up and then he pulled PJ up.

Dan and PJ finally got ready and left for school around 7 o' clock. They met up with Phil outside of school.

"Dan, you didn't answer my text this morning." Phil said. Dan looked at him.

"My phone didn't go off. I didn't know you sent me one?" He asked. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and then he went through his messages and finally found Phil's text message from earlier, and almost immediately felt guilty. "Oh, sorry." He said. He bit his lip and looked up at Phil again. He sighed. "This one was being a pain in the butt this morning." Dan said as he looked over at PJ. PJ crossed his arms against his chest and huffed.

"I was not." He said. "You're the one who woke me up at 6 o' clock in the freaking morning! I don't even wake up that early for school!" Dan laughed. Phil frowned. He was happy that Dan and PJ were friends again, but he was already starting to feel left out. He tried not to think about it much though.

For once in his life, Dan had a pretty good day at school. He wasn't really bothered by anyone, not even Chris. But PJ, he wasn't having such a good day. Chris actually wasn't at school today, but Alex and Charlie kept bothering him about hanging out with Dan. They kept telling him that they were going to tell Chris about it. PJ didn't know why they were being so horrible to him. They would never do this if Chris was around.

It was at the end of the day when he finally cracked.

"Will you shut up already?" PJ yelled. He was just now walking out of the school, with Alex and Charlie following him. "I don't care if you tell Chris that I'm friends with Dan again!" PJ yelled. He turned around and stared at the two.

"You'd rather be friends with Howell than Chris?" Charlie asked.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard you say!" Alex yelled.

"I didn't say it!" PJ yelled. "I'm allowed to hang out with who I want to! Chris isn't my only friend and he certainly doesn't control who I hang out with!" PJ yelled. PJ never liked getting in arguments but it felt good to get everything off his chest.

"Where'd this attitude come from?" Alex asked. PJ shrugged his shoulders.

"I think it's just time that I be my own person. I'm not gonna let anyone control me anymore." He said. "See you later, I have to go." PJ turned around and walked away without saying another word. Alex and Charlie looked at each other.

"We need to talk to Chris." Alex said. Charlie nodded.

"I agree." He said. They immediately started heading towards Chris's house.

Alex and Charlie immediately made their way to Chris's house. Chris was now sitting in the chair in his living room, while Alex and Charlie were sitting on the couch. Alex bit his lip before he finally looked at Chris.

"We need to talk to you about PJ." Alex said. Chris looked at him.

"What about him?" He asked. Charlie sighed.

"He's hanging out with Howell again." He said. Chris raised his eyebrows. "Like…Proper hanging out with him and I also heard from someone that he's staying at Dan's house." Chris blinked a few times.

"Why would he stay at his house?" Chris asked.

"I dunno but he's been spending a lot of time out of his own house." Alex said.

"Well, I don't know what's going on with him. He won't speak to me." Chris said.

"So, you're just going to let him be friends with Howell again?" Alex asked.

"You're the only one that can control him!" Charlie yelled.

"Control him? Jesus Christ, you're acting like he's my slave or something!" Chris yelled. "I'll talk to him at school tomorrow, alright?" Chris asked. He sighed.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day, Chris walked into school and immediately started looking for PJ. Chris hated that PJ was avoiding him, and was doing it on purpose. He was starting to miss PJ and he knew that he needed to fix things. He knew why PJ was upset with him. He just needed to figure out how to fix everything so that he wouldn't be upset with him anymore. He didn't even care about the fact that PJ was hanging out with Dan again, at least, for now. Chris sighed and headed towards PJ's locker. He wasn't there yet, but he hoped that he was on his way.

PJ was just now walking into the school with Dan and Phil.

"I have to get some books from my locker." PJ said.

"Okay, text me later." Dan said. He and Phil walked away. PJ sighed. He started to walk towards his locker. He was shocked when he saw Chris standing by his locker, texting on his phone.

"Chris?" PJ asked once he got to his locker. Chris immediately looked up. "What…What are you doing?"

"Waiting for you." He said. He put his phone away. "We have to talk." Chris said.

"Can't we talk later? I have class in like five minutes." PJ said.

"You've skipped classes before. Please, I want to talk." Chris said. PJ sighed.

"Fine." He said. "But if I get in trouble for skipping, then I'm blaming you." He warned.

"That's fine with me." Chris said. "Come on." He said. He grabbed PJ and led the way to the bathroom. Chris turned around and looked at PJ as soon as they walked in. PJ stared at him. "I heard you started hanging out with him again."

"You mean Dan?" PJ asked. Chris nodded. "Yeah, I have. I've been staying at his house."

"Yeah, but why?" Chris asked. PJ took a deep breath.

"I don't want to tell you. You might not be happy with what I'll say." He said.

"Peej, I'm not gonna be happy if you don't tell me." Chris said. PJ took a deep breath and looked at him. He was officially terrified. There was definitely no way of backing out of this. "You know I won't judge you…" Chris started to say. PJ shook his head.

"But you will!" PJ yelled. "Because you judged Dan when he told you that he was gay!"

"What are you trying to say?" Chris asked nervously.

"I'm saying that I'm…I'm gay." PJ said. Chris's eyes went wide with shock.

"What the fuck? Since when? Did Dan force you into this?" He asked.

"No! Dan has nothing to do with this! I've been gay since I was 11 years old!" PJ yelled.

"How come you never told me this?" Chris asked.

"Because I saw the way you reacted when Dan told us!" PJ said. His eyes began to water up. "I thought that when he told us that maybe I would finally be able to tell someone. But now you hate Dan and I didn't want to lose our friendship so I never told you." PJ said. "I know how you feel about gay people. I just…I just couldn't tell you. I couldn't risk losing you as a friend." He said. He looked up at Chris, who was still staring at him with wide eyes. "Please say something?" PJ begged. "I'm…I'm no different than before. I'm still the same person." He said. He desperately wanted to tell Chris that he loved him. But he could tell that Chris was already freaked out, and he didn't want to make matters any worse. "Chris?" PJ asked.

"I…" Chris started to say. "I can't believe this."

"Do you hate me?" PJ asked. "I understand if you don't want to be friends with me anymore. I wouldn't want to be my friend either." He said.

"Hate you?" Chris asked. PJ nodded. "I could never hate you."

"But you hate gay people! And you made it clear too!" PJ yelled. "You made it _loud and clear_ when Dan told us four years ago that you wanted nothing to do with gay people!" Chris let out a sigh.

"You're my best friend, Peej. Nothing could ever make me hate you, even if…You are gay." He said. "I can learn to live with it."

"Then how come you've hated Dan for all these years?" PJ asked.

"I don't…I don't know. He's not you. He's somebody else." Chris said. PJ looked down at his hands. "I don't hate you." Chris said.

"Please don't make me chose between you and Dan." PJ said.

"What do you mean?" Chris asked. PJ nervously looked at him again.

"I want to be Dan's friend but I also want to be your friend. I don't want to choose." He said.

"Fine, be friends with him all you want but…I can't." Chris said.

"Okay." PJ said. He took a deep breath.

"So, who else knows that you're gay?" Chris asked.

"Dan and Phil and my parents." PJ said. "That's it." He said.

"Who's Phil?" Chris asked. PJ rolled his eyes.

"Phil Lester? He was the new kid a few months ago." He said.

"Oh, okay." Chris said. "Right…He's the one Howe…Dan always hangs out with." He said. PJ smiled slightly and looked at Chris again. He was glad to be talking with Chris again. He was even more glad that Chris didn't hate him for being gay. That was the only thing that he was really worried about. Now all he had to worry about was the fact that he was in love with Chris. He knew that he definitely could not tell Chris that.

"Yeah." PJ said. He looked at Chris again.

"How did your parents take it then?" Chris asked. PJ sighed.

"They're not happy at the moment." PJ said. "They've been arguing for about a week straight. They've barely spoken to me. I mean my mum did once but that's it. My dad won't even look at me anymore." He said sadly. He sighed. "I've been trying to stay away from the house and my parents are the reason I've been staying at Dan's house this weekend." PJ said. "But today's the last day I'm staying at his house so that means that I have to go back home which I really don't want to do." He said. He sighed. Chris raised his eyebrows as he stared at PJ. He bit his lip.

"You know, if you don't want to stay at your parent's house, you can always stay at mine." Chris said. PJ stared at him.

"No…I…I can't." PJ said. Chris rolled his eyes.

"Yes, you can. I don't want you to be miserable in your own house." He said. "It's just me and my parents. There's plenty of room, you know this. And mum and dad adore you anyways." Chris said. PJ blushed. Chris smiled.

"I already feel like I'm annoying Dan, I don't want to annoy you too." PJ said.

"That could never happen." Chris said. "Come on." He said. PJ groaned.

"Fine!" He said in defeat. Chris smiled.

It was now the end of the school day. PJ was waiting outside the school for Dan.

"Hey, Peej!" PJ looked up and smiled when he saw Dan. Dan walked up to him.

"Hey." He said. "Where's Phil at?" PJ asked.

"Oh, he's coming in a few minutes but um…" Dan started to say. "Phil and I had plans for later today. We were gonna be gone for a few hours." He said. PJ stared at him. "Will you be okay…?"

"I'm not 10 years old. I can take care of myself." PJ snapped. Dan blinked a few times.

"Okay." He said. "I just…I just didn't want to leave you at my house alone." He said.

"I can hang out with Chris." PJ mumbled. Dan raised his eyebrows.

"You're talking to Chris again?" He asked. PJ looked at him.

"Yes. He apologized and we talked everything out." He said.

"Oh, well, that's good, I guess." Dan said. He bit his lip. PJ looked down at his hands. "Look, Peej…"

"Dan!" Dan immediately looked up and smiled when he saw Phil. Dan looked at PJ one last time before he walked over to Phil.

"What's up with him?" Phil asked, nodding over to PJ.

"He might be upset with me." Dan whispered. "I just feel bad for ditching him." He said.

"He'll get over it." Phil said. "I'm sure he'll be able to live without you for one night." He said.

"Phil!" Dan hit his chest playfully. Phil laughed.

After about 10 minutes of standing there, PJ finally started to walk away from the school. He didn't even text or call Chris to see if he wanted to hang out. He just walked to the park by himself. As soon as he got there, he walked over to his favorite tree and sat down. He let out a sigh and leaned against the tree. He closed his eyes for a few seconds. He opened his eyes as soon as he felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw that Chris had texted him. He bit his lip as he read the text: _Hey, where are you? Do you want to hang out?_ It took PJ a few seconds to reply back with: _Sure, I'm at the park. _PJ sighed and sat his phone on the ground. He wanted to tell Chris how he felt, he needed to!


	6. Chapter 6

PJ waited for about nearly an hour for an hour for Chris. He was currently lying down on the grass, with his back on the ground and was staring at the sky. He was close to falling asleep, but his eyes snapped open as soon as he heard someone say his name. He looked over and saw Chris. He slowly sat up and looked up at him. Chris chuckled.

"Tired?" He asked. He sat down next to PJ. PJ rubbed his eyes.

"You could say that." He said. Chris looked at him.

"Sorry it took so long to get here." He said. He bit his lip. "Lexie wouldn't leave me alone." He said.

"Oh." PJ mumbled. He looked down at his hands. Chris frowned.

"Are you okay?" He asked. PJ looked at him.

"I'm fine, why do you ask?" He asked nervously.

"You just seem a little down, that's all." Chris said. PJ shrugged his shoulders.

"It's nothing that you have to worry about." He said.

"Peej, if something's bothering you then I want to help." Chris said. PJ sighed.

"Have you ever been in love with someone that you can't be with?" He asked.

"Um…Can't say that I have, sorry." Chris said. PJ sighed. "Maybe I can help…Who's this person that you're in love with? Do I know her? Or, um…Him?" He asked curiously. PJ bit his lip nervously.

"I guess you could say that you know him." PJ said.

"It's not Alex or Charlie is it?" Chris asked.

"NO! Fuck no." PJ said. Chris let out a laugh. "But, you're getting warmer."

"Do you hang out with him a lot?" Chris asked.

"I do." PJ said. He bit his lip. "In fact, I'm um…I'm…I'm hanging out with him right now." PJ said. Chris didn't say anything for a few seconds, and then his eyes went wide with shock when he realized what PJ was saying.

"Don't tell me you're saying what I think you're saying?" He started to ask. PJ looked down at his hands again and didn't say a word to Chris. Chris stared at him with shock. "Me?" He asked. PJ took a deep breath.

"I didn't want to tell you but I couldn't hold it in anymore!" PJ yelled. "And I hate that I'm in love with you because there's no chance that I could ever be with you. You're straight and you have a girlfriend." He said. His eyes began to water up. Chris immediately stood up. PJ looked up at him. "Chris?" He asked. He took a deep breath. Chris looked down at him. "You said you didn't hate me earlier…" PJ said nervously. "How do you feel now?" He asked.

"Jesus Christ, PJ." Chris said. "You're supposed to be my best friend, not fall in love with me!" He yelled.

"I can't help who I fall in love with!" PJ yelled. He also stood up. Chris stared at him. He shook his head.

"We can't. I don't care how you feel about me, but we won't ever be together." He said. "Get that out of your head." Chris snapped. He turned around and walked away from PJ. PJ leaned against the tree and sighed.

"Way to fucking go, Peej." He said. He slowly slid down the tree and hid his face in his hands.

As Chris was about to leave the park, he nervously turned and looked back and PJ. He took a deep breath. He shook his head and left the park. Chris felt bad for leaving PJ, but he didn't know how to react to his best friend telling him he loved him.

The next day, Chris walked into school and almost immediately started looking around for Dan. PJ had been hanging out with him a lot, Dan must have some answers for Chris. Chris bit his lip and then he went to Dan's locker and found him, with Phil, of course.

"Hey!" Chris yelled. He walked over to Dan. Dan looked at him.

"What are you…?" Dan started to ask.

"I need to talk to you." Chris said. He grabbed Dan's arm and started to pull him away. Dan looked back at Phil. Phil bit his lip as he watched Chris drag Dan away, debating whether or not he should follow.

"Text me if you need me!" Phil called. Dan groaned. Chris pulled him into the bathroom.

"Ow, would you let go?" Dan asked. He pulled his arm away from Chris. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" Chris turned and looked at him. Dan took a deep breath. He was surprised Chris didn't punch him right then and there.

"Did you know?" Chris asked. Dan blinked a few times. "About PJ?"

"What are you talking about? What about PJ?" Dan asked. Chris sighed.

"That he's gay?" Chris asked. Dan nodded.

"He told me a few weeks ago." He said. "What is this about?"

"Did you also know that he was in love with me?" Chris asked.

"I…" Dan started to say. "I might have." He mumbled.

"Jesus Christ." Chris said. Dan looked at him.

"You know then?" He asked. Chris nodded. "That must be why he hasn't answered any of my texts, or why he didn't come home last night…" Dan said. "Or why he's not even at school." He said. Chris rolled his eyes.

"Are you finished?" Chris asked with annoyance as he looked at Dan. Dan blinked a few times and stared at him. "This isn't supposed to fucking happen! He's my best friend! He's not supposed to fall in love with me!" Chris yelled. Dan went to say something, but Chris continued. "It's not like we could ever be together! I don't know what he's thinking!" Chris yelled. He took a deep breath. "This is gonna ruin everything." He said. Dan frowned.

"It's…It's not so bad. PJ is a really nice guy." He said.

"That's easy for you to say! You're actually fucking gay! I'm straight and I have a girlfriend!" Chris yelled.

"You don't have to be gay to like another guy, you know…" Dan mumbled. Chris glared at him. "Did you bring me in here to take your anger out on me?" Dan asked. "I actually want to go to classes." He said.

"Can't you talk to PJ?" Chris asked. Dan sighed. "Talk him out of it?"

"As much I want PJ to not be in love with you, I can't change how he feels." Dan said. "I'm sorry."

"Fucking useless." Chris mumbled. He stormed out of the bathroom. Dan sighed.

"Fuck." He said. He got his cell phone out and decided to text PJ. _Where are you? We need to talk ASAP!_


	7. Chapter 7

A month has passed. PJ wasn't talking to anybody. He wouldn't talk to Dan, Phil or even Chris. He was barely at school. He stayed hid up in his room in his house. He didn't want to speak to anyone. His parents were starting to worry about him, as well as his friends.

There was less than two months of school left now.

Dan and Phil had finally started dating two weeks ago. Everybody at school knew about them, but nobody was shocked. Dan and Phil were quite happy being a couple. It's also been a whole month and Chris hadn't beat up on Dan, not once. Dan was happy for once in his life and he was actually enjoying school, though he still couldn't wait to get out of it.

It was currently a Friday afternoon, Dan and Phil were just now getting out of school and were now hanging out at the shopping centre, which is where they now usually hung out on the weekends, as not many people from school were there.

"So, what do you want to do?" Phil asked as they walked into the shopping centre, holding hands.

"Hm, let's get something to eat before we do anything. The school's lunch wasn't that great." Dan said. Phil nodded.

"I'd have to agree with you on that one." He said. Dan let out a laugh. He reached over and gave Phil a quick kiss. Phil returned the smile. He looked over and sighed when he saw that Chris was there, including his girlfriend, Charlie and Alex. "Great, look who's here." Phil said. Dan also looked over and bit his lip when he saw that Chris was not that far away from them.

"Let's just hope that they don't bother us. Chris hasn't said or done anything to us in a while so maybe we'll get lucky." Dan said calmly. "Come on. I'm starving." He said. He dragged Phil to where the food was.

They finally got their food. As soon as Dan turned around he gasped when he saw PJ sitting at one of the tables with another boy, and they were holding hands. Phil looked over at Dan and blinked a few times.

"Dan, what's the matter?" Phil asked. Dan didn't answer, nor did he move a muscle. He just stared wide eyed at PJ. Phil looked to where Dan was staring at and rolled his eyes. "Great." He mumbled. It didn't take long before PJ felt someone staring at him. PJ looked over and sighed when he saw Dan staring at him. He quickly looked away from him. The boy who was with PJ looked over at him and raised his eyebrows.

"You okay?" He asked. PJ looked over at him.

"Some of my friends are here but I really don't want to see them." He said.

"Oh." The boy said. PJ bit his lip.

"I can just ignore them though." He said. "No big deal. I've been ignoring them for a month now."

"Well, okay then." The boy said. He pulled out his cell phone and sighed.

"What?" PJ asked. He bit his lip nervously.

"Mum wants me to go home." The boy said. PJ frowned.

"But, we've only been here an hour. Do you really have to go, Justin?" PJ asked.

"I'm sorry; you know how my mum is." Justin said. PJ sighed.

"Alright." He said. They both stood up. "Do you need a ride?" Justin asked.

"No, it's fine. I can walk. My house is only 10 minutes away. I don't want to go home just yet anyways. I don't want to deal with my parents." PJ said. He let out a sigh. Justin smiled and gave him a kiss. PJ blushed.

"Oh, but what about those friends of yours?" He asked. PJ bit his lip.

"I'll figure something out. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." He said. Justin nodded. He gently wrapped his arms around PJ, pulled him closer and started to kiss him. PJ closed his eyes and immediately kissed him back.

Meanwhile, Alex and Charlie were both with Chris and his girlfriend, Lexie. It was Charlie who looked over and was shocked when he saw PJ making out with a guy. Charlie bit his lip and looked over at Chris.

"Uh, Chris…" Charlie started to say. Chris was currently talking to Lexie but he rolled his eyes when he heard Charlie say something.

"What do you want?" He asked. Charlie sighed.

"I only wanted to tell you…Isn't that PJ over there?" He asked. Chris immediately looked to where Charlie had pointed and was also shocked when he saw PJ kissing a boy. Lexie rolled her eyes as soon as she saw what they were talking about. "At least we know he's alive." Charlie joked. Alex laughed.

"Chris, let's just go. He clearly doesn't want to talk to you. It's been a whole month since he's said a word to you." Lexie said as she gently tugged on his arm. Chris shrugged her off, completely ignoring her, still staring at PJ. "Chris!" Lexie yelled with annoyance. Chris sighed in frustration and looked at her.

"Fuck off!" Chris yelled at her. Lexie gasped. She stood up and immediately walked away. Chris stood up as he continued to stare at PJ. PJ finally pulled away from the boy that he was with. Chris had heard PJ say goodbye. He watched as PJ sat back down at his chair. Chris took a deep breath. He finally made his way over to PJ. "PJ?!" He called. PJ immediately looked up and gasped when he saw Chris. He quickly stood up.

"What the hell? Is everyone from school here today?" PJ asked. Chris blinked a few times.

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

"Dan and Phil are here too." PJ said. "I saw them." He said. Chris shrugged his shoulders.

"I wouldn't know." He said. He looked at PJ. "Where the hell have you been?" He asked. "You haven't been at school in a week!" He yelled. PJ let out a sigh.

"I'm done with school." He said. "I don't care anymore." He said.

"Is that what you've become?" Chris asked. PJ glared at him.

"So you suddenly care about my feelings?" He asked.

"I've always cared about you!" Chris yelled. "Just...As a friend." He whispered. PJ crossed his arms against his chest and looked away from him. "Peej, I'm sorry…For freaking out on you. You'd have done the same!"

"No, I wouldn't have!" PJ yelled. "Just leave me alone." He mumbled. He sat back down in his chair. Chris bit his lip and sat down in the seat next to him.

"Who was that guy that you were with?" Chris asked.

"Why do you care?" PJ mumbled. Chris rolled his eyes.

"Stop saying that! I do care." He snapped.

"That was my boyfriend, alright?" PJ snapped. Chris stared at him.

"Wow…That didn't take long." He said. "Who is he?" Chris asked.

"His name is Justin. He's in some of my classes. We met here." PJ said. "We've only been together for two weeks."

"I would have guessed you'd been together longer by the way you two were acting." Chris said. PJ looked at him.

"And how were we acting?" PJ asked. Chris sighed.

"He was practically snogging your face off!" He yelled.

"He was not!" PJ yelled. "You don't know him." He mumbled.

"I'm sorry, alright?" Chris said. "I just miss you, that's all." He said. "You haven't said anything in a month." He said.

"I didn't know how I could handle just being friends." PJ mumbled. Chris groaned. "You don't have to say anything. I get it, alright? You're straight. You're not gay and you never will be gay. You don't want to be with me and you never will be with me and that's why I found Justin. Besides, you have a girlfriend." PJ said. Chris didn't say anything. He bit his lip. PJ looked over at him and saw the look on his face. "You do still have a girlfriend, right?" PJ asked. Chris shrugged his shoulders. "Did you two finally break up?" PJ asked. Chris glared at him. "Sorry." PJ mumbled.

"No, we didn't break up." Chris said. "But I don't know how much longer I can take of her." He said. He sighed. "She doesn't like you." Chris said.

"That's not surprising." He said. "Not a lot of people do like me."

"But I do. So does Alex and Charlie." Chris said.

"Barely! If they weren't friends with you then they wouldn't be friends with me." PJ said. "When you're not at school they don't even look at me, let alone talk to me." He said. He sighed. Chris frowned. He had no idea Charlie and Alex treated PJ like that.

"Who cares about them? I like you and that's all that matters." Chris said. "PJ, can't we just go back to being friends?"

"It's not that simple." PJ said. "I need time." He said.

"Time for what?" Chris asked. "You're gay and I accept you. You've found someone." He said. "What could you possibly need time for? It's been a whole bloody month!" Chris yelled. PJ looked down at his hands.

"I don't know." PJ said. Chris sighed and stood up.

"Fine." He said. "I'm only trying to make things better." Chris snapped. He walked away. PJ immediately stood up and quickly made his way out of the shopping centre. He didn't want to be near Chris any longer.

"PJ!" PJ heard his name but he continued walking, but he stopped when someone grabbed his hand.

"What?!" PJ yelled as he turned around. He looked up and was shocked when he saw Dan. "Not you too." PJ groaned.

"How come you've been ignoring us?" Dan asked.

"Because I'm done with everything!" PJ yelled. "I'm tired of all this drama in my life! I just want it to go away!"

"What do I have to do with this?" Dan asked. "I've not done anything to you but try to be a friend!" He yelled. "And you know that!" He yelled. PJ looked at him and took a deep breath. Dan stared at him.

"I wish I'd never told you I was gay!" PJ yelled. "Things were so much better before!"

"So you're saying I complicated things?" Dan asked. "I'm just trying to help!" Dan yelled.

"I don't want help! Just leave me alone!" PJ yelled. He turned around and walked away, whipping away some tears as he did so. Dan took a deep breath as he watched PJ. Phil was just now walking out of the shopping centre. He looked up and saw Dan. He took a deep breath before he walked over to him. Dan looked over at him but didn't say anything. Phil frowned when he saw the look on his face. He immediately wrapped his arms around Dan and hugged him.


	8. Chapter 8

It's been two days now since PJ had spoken to Chris and Dan. He hadn't left his room since then. He wasn't talking to anybody, not even Justin. He locked himself up in his room and hadn't come out. He refused to come out of his room. His parents were getting more worried, as he wasn't eating or talking. They didn't know what to do but they knew that they had to do something before PJ would do something to hurt himself.

Sunday quickly came. It was around 4 o' clock in the afternoon when PJ had finally woken up. PJ had broken up with Justin yesterday and was rather upset about it. He didn't want to break up with Justin, but he just thought it would be best.

Meanwhile, Chris was just now arriving at PJ's house. He took a deep breath as he walked up to the door. He nervously knocked on it a few times. He waited a few seconds before his mum finally answered.

"Chris?" His mum asked. She let Chris inside and shut the door. "I assume you're here to talk to PJ?" His mum asked.

"Yeah, we argued the other day and I wanted to apologize to him." Chris said.

"Ah, so that's why he's so upset." His mum said. Chris looked at her.

"Is PJ home? Is it okay if I talked to him?" He asked.

"Of course it's okay! Though it might not be so easy so be prepared." PJ's mum said.

"I know PJ, trust me. I'll get him to talk." Chris said.

"Well, um, okay then…You know where his room is." PJ's mum said. Chris nodded and immediately went to PJ's room. Chris took a deep breath before he knocked on the door. He waited a few seconds before he opened it. Chris bit his lip as he stepped into PJ's room. He looked around a few seconds and then he spotted PJ sitting at his computer desk with his head hidden in his hands. PJ didn't even hear Chris walk in.

"Peej?" PJ immediately looked up when he heard Chris's voice. Chris frowned as soon as he saw PJ's red eyes.

"Chris?" PJ asked. He sat fully up. "Wh-What are you doing here?" He asked nervously.

"I just wanted to make sure that you're okay." Chris said. PJ quickly whipped away a tear that fell out of his eyes. "Are you?"

"No." PJ said. He took a deep breath. Chris walked over to him.

"I know I'm probably the last person you want to see but you know I'm here if you want to talk." He said.

"I…" PJ started to say. "I…I broke up with Justin." He said.

"Why'd you do that?" Chris asked. "You seemed happy with him." He said.

"I-I was but he deserves someone better than me." PJ said.

"Peej, don't think like that." Chris said. PJ shook his head.

"It's true! He deserves someone better. All I do is cause drama in people's lives and Justin is too nice to go through all of it."

"PJ." Chris said. He pulled PJ up from the chair. PJ looked at him with shock.

"What are you doing…?" PJ started to ask, but he was cut off by Chris press his lips against PJ's and kissing him. PJ's eyes went wide with shock. He had started to kiss Chris back, but he quickly pulled away and took a deep breath. Chris blinked a few times as he looked at him. PJ looked at him. "I…I can't do this." PJ said. Chris stared at him with shock. "You're only doing this because you feel sorry for me." PJ said. Chris rolled his eyes.

"That's not why I kissed you PJ." Chris said. PJ stared at him.

"You don't even have feelings for me though." PJ said.

"I do care about you though." Chris said.

"Only as a friend." PJ said. Chris sighed. He grabbed PJ and pulled him closer to him. PJ gasped.

"I know you won't believe me but I do care about you and I do love you." Chris said. "You made me change how I feel about gay people and I'm glad that you did." He said. PJ stared at him. "Please, give me a chance?"

"But, what about Lexie?" PJ asked. Chris rolled his eyes.

"We're over. I can't take her anymore." He said. "I'd much rather be with you than her." Chris said. Chris and PJ stared at each other for what felt like ages before PJ finally wrapped his arms around Chris's neck and kissed him. He still didn't know if Chris was doing this because he felt sorry for him or not but he didn't care. He'd wanted this for so long. He was going to take this chance while he had one. Chris grabbed a hold of PJ and pushed him towards the bed. PJ fell down onto the bed as soon as the back of his knees hit his bed. Chris gently climbed on top of him. He grabbed PJ's hands and pinned them against the bed. PJ took deep breaths as he stared at Chris.

"H-Have you ever done this with another guy before?" PJ asked nervously.

"No. Have you?" Chris asked, not taking his eyes away from PJ.

"Once but we can talk about that later." PJ said.

"Fine with me." Chris said. He leaned down and pressed his lips against PJ's. PJ closed his eyes and immediately kissed him back. They kissed for a few seconds before Chris made his way down to PJ's neck and started kissing it.

"Chris." PJ moaned. Chris's grip on PJ got harder. He held onto him as he continued to kiss his neck. Chris wanted PJ in every single way. He had never experienced anything like this before but he was rather excited.

"Relax, Peej." Chris whispered. He could feel PJ start to breath heavily. PJ took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry. I'm just nervous." He said. Chris looked at him.

"You can trust me. There's nothing to be nervous about. I promise." He said. He kissed PJ gently.

Nearly an hour later, Chris and PJ were cuddled up in PJ's bed, both shirtless. Chris had his arm wrapped around PJ while PJ had his resting on Chris's chest. PJ bit his lip as he looked down at his hands.

"Where does this lead us?" PJ asked, breaking the silence. Chris looked down at him.

"What do you mean?" He asked. PJ looked up at him. He slowly sat up.

"I mean…" PJ started to say. He bit his lip nervously. Chris stared at him. "Was this just a one-time thing or are we actually going to get together and be in a real relationship?" He asked curiously. "I…I don't want to rush you into anything but I just…" PJ was cut off by Chris kissing him. PJ blinked a few times when he pulled away. "Chris?" PJ asked. Chris chuckled and shook his head. He let out a soft sigh.

"Of course this wasn't just a one-time thing." He said. "I told you before we did this that I cared about you and loved you and I still feel the same way." Chris said. PJ couldn't help but smile. "I really would love it if we could be in a relationship."

"It makes me happy to hear you say that." He said. "Does…Does this make you my boyfriend then?" PJ asked nervously.

"Peej, stop being so nervous." Chris said. "Of course it does!" He said. PJ sighed in relief. Chris leaned down and kissed PJ.

"Thank you." PJ said when Chris pulled away. Chris blinked a few times. "For everything. For coming here today. For not hating me for being gay." He said. He took a deep breath. "For just…Caring." PJ said. Chris frowned.

"I've always cared about you." He said. "It just took me a little while for me to realize that I love you." PJ blushed.


	9. Chapter 9

"Will you stop complaining already?" PJ asked Chris.

"Peej, why are you making me do this?" Chris asked. "It's like you want me to be miserable or something." He said. "I thought you loved me?" He asked.

"We're doing this because you need to do this. We both need to do this really." PJ said. "It'll be good for you. Besides, Dan isn't that bad. He's actually really nice. I promise. He's still the same old person we knew before we knew that he was gay. I spent a whole weekend with him, trust me. He hasn't changed." PJ said. Chris groaned. "This will be good for us. You'll see." PJ said. Chris rolled his eyes. "Stop doing that." PJ said. Chris laughed at him.

"I really don't want to do this Peej." He said.

"It's too late to back out now so you're just going to have to deal with it." PJ said. Chris sighed.

"I hate you." He said. PJ gasped and pushed him playfully.

"Shut up! You do not." He said. Chris let out a laugh.

It's been two months now since Chris and PJ have started dating. So far, things were going okay between them and PJ was actually happy for once. He hadn't felt this happy in a long time. Eventually, PJ started going back to school, after Chris convinced him. PJ wasn't happy about it but he knew that he had to go back to school. People at school were shocked when they found out that Chris and PJ were dating. Everybody knew how Chris felt about gay people so they never expected him to date PJ. Though, things between Dan and Chris hadn't changed. Chris had finally stopped beating on him, which Dan was thankful for, but they were still cold to each other. PJ was trying to do everything in his power to make them become friends.

It was a Friday night, around 6 o' clock. Chris and PJ were meeting Dan and Phil at the park. PJ had set it all up. He was surprised that Dan agreed to meet them, as he knew how Dan felt about Chris.

"This is going to be so awkward." Chris said.

"I know." PJ said. He took Chris's hand as they entered the park. Dan and Phil were already sitting together at a table. Dan looked up as soon as PJ and Chris walked up to them. He stood up, pulling Phil up with him. "Hey." PJ said.

"Hey." Dan said, nervously looking at Chris. Chris looked down at the ground. PJ rolled his eyes. Phil bit his lip as he looked over at Dan. "Do you want to sit down or something?" Dan asked. PJ nodded.

"Yeah." He said. Dan and Phil sat back down on the bench. PJ grabbed Chris's hand and then they sat down on the other side of the bench. "I…I know this is really awkward but…" Chris looked over at him. "I don't want to continue fighting with you or with you." PJ said as he looked at Phil. Phil stared at him

"Fighting? Who said anything about fighting?" Dan asked. PJ rolled his eyes.

"You know what I mean." He said. "I know I wasn't so nice to you the last time we saw each other…" PJ said. He looked at Dan and took a deep breath. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry." Dan shook his head.

"It's fine." He said. "You were probably going through a lot."

"Yeah but that didn't give me a right to shout out you like I did before. You were only trying to help me and I turned you down." PJ said. He bit his lip nervously. "I really am sorry." Dan looked at him.

"Well, that's in the past now." Dan said. "So, let's not worry about it anymore." He said. Chris looked down at his hands. PJ looked over at him and raised his eyebrows. He reached over and poked Chris's sides. Chris glared at him. He sighed and looked over at Dan, for the first time since they've arrived at the park.

"I…" He started to say. "I-I'm sorry." Chris said. Dan raised his eyebrows. Chris looked at PJ again. "I hate you for making me do this." He snapped.

"Shut up. You'll thank me later." He said. Chris huffed and crossed his arms against his chest. Phil raised his eyebrows as he watched them. "Oh my God, we act like a married couple." PJ said. He shook his head. Chris laughed at him.

"Look, Chris, I accept your apology." Dan said. Phil looked at him with shock. He didn't expect Dan to be so easy on Chris. "I don't know if we'll ever be friends again like we used to be but…" Dan started to say. Chris looked at him.

"You accept my apology just like that?" He asked with shock. He was surprised Dan was being this calm and nice around him after all that he's done to him. He thought that Dan would never forgive him after what he's done. Dan blinked a few times as he stared at him. "After all I've done to you? It was just a few months ago that I was beating you up until you couldn't stand anymore." Chris said. Dan took a deep breath and shook his head.

"I'd rather not relive that part actually, thanks." Dan mumbled. He sighed. Chris bit his lip. "Can't we just move on from all that?" Dan asked. He nervously looked up at Chris. "You can accept PJ for being gay so why can't you accept me?" Dan asked. "I know I've said it before but I really am the same person." Dan said. "I'm the same dorky kid you knew before." He said. "I'm not really helping myself here, am I?" Dan asked himself out loud. Phil rolled his eyes playfully.

"I do accept you though." Chris said. Dan looked at him. PJ smiled as he looked at Chris. "If I didn't accept you I'd probably still be beating you up like I was before." Chris said. He shrugged his shoulders. "PJ knocked some sense into me." He said.

"Thanks PJ." Dan said. PJ laughed. "I'm not saying we have to go back to being friends but can't we at least be civil?"

"I suppose." Chris said. Dan couldn't help but smile. He looked over at Phil and then he looked back at Chris. "Oh, by the way, this is Phil." Dan said, pointing to Phil. "You haven't been properly introduced to him." He said. Chris looked over at him.

"Hey." He said. Phil gave him a small smile.

"Hi." He said. Dan reached over and took Phil's hand.

"Right…I'm glad we got this over with then." PJ said. He looked over at Chris and smiled. "Told you that you'd thank me later."

"No, I still hate you." Chris said. PJ pouted. Chris laughed.


	10. Chapter 10

It's been a couple of weeks now since Dan and Phil had met up with PJ and Chris. Dan and Chris were slowly becoming friends again. They weren't properly hanging out yet. They were taking baby steps. PJ was just happy that they were talking to each other without making snappy remarks at each other.

It was currently a Friday afternoon. Dan was sitting at his computer desk in his bedroom with Phil. They had just gotten home from school. They were planning on meeting up with Chris and PJ later. They didn't know what exactly they were doing though. Dan was currently on Youtube. He had always wanted to be a Youtuber. He just didn't have the confidence to start a video.

"How do they do it?" Dan asked out loud. Phil was currently sitting on Dan's bed and was on his laptop. He looked up when he heard Dan and blinked a few times. "They make it look so easy." Phil said.

"What are you talking about?" Phil asked. Dan looked over at him.

"Youtubers! He yelled. "They make it look so easy but when I try it…It just turns out crappy and shitty." Dan said.

"Dan, it's easy." Phil said. "It's just talking to a camera." He said.

"And how would you know?" Dan asked. Phil sighed.

"Come over here and I'll show you." He said. "There's something I haven't told you yet." Phil said. "We've been dating long enough that I can trust you with this secret…" Phil said. Dan stared at him. He nervously stood up and walked over to his bed. He sat down next to Phil. Phil sat fully up. He showed Dan what was on his laptop. Dan blinked a few times when he saw that Phil was on Youtube as well. Dan looked over at Phil, a little confused.

"What am I looking at?" Dan asked. Phil rolled his eyes.

"My Youtube channel." He said. Dan looked at him.

"That's yours?!" He asked. Phil nodded. "Shit, Phil, you have over 500,000 subscribers!" Dan yelled. Phil laughed.

"I've been doing it for three years!" He said. Dan looked at him with shock.

"So, what are you, a popular Youtuber?" He asked.

"Something like that. I'm not the most popular but it's better than nothing." Phil said. "Are you mad at me for not telling you?" He asked.

"Of course not. Don't be silly." Dan said. "I understand why you didn't tell me." He said.

"It's not that I don't trust you but…Only my family knows about this. I don't want this getting out to a lot of people in our school." Phil said. Dan nodded.

"Yeah, I know." He said. "So, looks like I get to stalk my boyfriend on Youtube now." Dan joked.

"Oh no!" Phil whined. Dan laughed at him. "Hey, what if we make a video together?" Phil asked.

"But people on the internet don't know I exist!" Dan said.

"We don't have to tell them you're my boyfriend or anything. It'll be just a fun collab video. It'll help get you started." Phil said. Dan sighed. "Come on, it'll be fun." Phil said. "We'll call it…What's your channel name?" He asked.

"Danisnotonfire." Dan said. "Don't judge me." He said. Phil snickered.

"We'll call it…Phil is not on fire!" He said with excitement.

"That could work." Dan said. "Yeah, alright." He said. Phil gasped.

"Yay!" He said with excitement. Dan shook his head.

"You're such a child sometimes." He said. Phil stuck his tongue out at him.

Meanwhile, PJ was waiting outside the school for Chris to pick him up so they could go to Chris's house. PJ had been waiting for 20 minutes already and he was getting impatient. He didn't know what was taking Chris so long.

"Hey, PJ!" PJ looked over and rolled his eyes when he saw Alex and Charlie.

"Leave me alone." PJ said. They walked over to him.

"How come you've been avoiding us for so long?" Alex asked. "You've been hanging out with Chris again?"

"That's because I'm dating him now. Obviously I'm going to hang out with him." PJ said. "Besides, since when do you care about me?" He asked. "You never even talk to me or bothered with me unless I'm with Chris." He said. Alex raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, I've caught on. I'm not as dumb as you think I am." He snapped. Charlie rolled his eyes. PJ looked over at them and bit his lip. "Seriously, what do you want?" PJ asked.

"Peej?" PJ looked over and sighed in relief when he saw Chris.

"Finally…Where've you been?" PJ asked. Chris walked over to him.

"Teacher gave me detention again for skipping class." He said. PJ rolled his eyes. Chris smiled. He reached over and gave PJ a kiss. He looked over and blinked a few times when he saw Charlie and Alex. "What are you doing here?" Chris asked.

"Nothing." They both said at the same time. PJ sighed.

"They're being annoying. That's what they're doing." He said. Chris reached over and took PJ's hand.

"Well, we have to go. Talk to you guys later." Chris said. He pulled PJ away from Charlie and Alex. "What's going on with you and them? You always seemed to get along before." Chris said as they walked up to Chris's car. PJ looked at him.

"They were just acting." He said. "They don't like me and they never have liked me. They only put up with me because you're around." He said. Chris rolled his eyes. "Chris, I'm telling the truth." PJ said.

"I'll talk to them later, okay? Don't worry about them." Chris said. PJ sighed. Chris walked over to him and wrapped his arms around PJ. He gently pushed him against the car door. PJ stared at him. "You worry too much." Chris said.

"No...I don't like people." PJ said. Chris laughed. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against PJ's. PJ smiled and kissed him back. He wrapped his arms around Chris's neck as they continued to kiss him.

"Get a room!" Somebody yelled. Chris immediately pulled from PJ and looked over and saw a couple of guys. One of the boys smirked and then they walked away. Chris rolled his eyes. He looked back at PJ.

"Let's just go." He said. PJ nodded. Chris gave him one more kiss before he let go of him.

Chris and PJ were just now getting to Chris's house.

"People at school are such jerks." PJ said as they walked into Chris's house.

"Don't worry about people at school, babe. They aren't worth your time." Chris said. PJ looked at him. He pulled out his phone from his pocket when he felt it vibrate. He looked down and saw that he had a text from Dan.

**To: PJ**

**From: Dan**

_We can't hang out today. Me and Phil are filming something. Sorry. Xx_

"Who texted you?" Chris asked as he watched PJ.

"Dan said he and Phil can't hand out today. They're filming?" PJ looked up at Chris.

"What on Earth could they possibly be filming for?" Chris asked. He blinked a few times. PJ sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Actually, I don't even want to know." Chris said. PJ laughed. "Well, that's too bad anyways." Chris said. PJ raised his eyebrows as he looked over at Chris, who smirked. "It looks like I get you all to myself today." Chris said as he walked over to PJ and wrapped his arms around him. PJ blushed.

"Chris." PJ giggled. Chris kissed PJ's neck a few times. Chris looked at him. "What are we going to do now?" PJ asked.

"Oh, I've got a few ideas in mind." Chris said.

"Chris!" PJ yelled. Chris laughed at him. "I've got such a dirty-minded boyfriend."

"Oh come on, you still love me." Chris said. PJ smiled.

"Yeah, okay, I guess I still do." He said. Chris smiled and kissed him again.


	11. Chapter 11

"So, where were you last night? What were you filming for?" PJ asked Dan.

It was the next day, around 7 o' clock. Dan and PJ were just getting out of the movies. Dan told PJ that he wanted to make up for not hanging out with them yesterday. He felt bad for ditching him. PJ had said that he didn't have to but Dan insisted.

"Um…" Dan bit his lip as he looked at PJ. "Can you keep it a secret?" Dan asked.

"Yes, of course, come on Dan." PJ said. "What's going on?"

"Me and Phil were making a video for Youtube." Dan said. "You know how I've always wanted to be a Youtuber?" PJ raised his eyebrows.

"That's finally happening?" PJ asked. Dan smiled and nodded.

"I found out yesterday that Phil's some crazy popular Youtube. He has over 500,000 subscribers." Dan said.

"What?!" PJ yelled. "That's mad!" He said. Dan sighed.

"Yeah, but he's happy so I can't be mad at him for keeping it a secret. He didn't want to tell anyone because Youtubers make a lot of money and he didn't want people at school to use him for it." He said. PJ nodded.

"Totally understandable." PJ said. "I'd do the same thing." He said. Dan nodded.

"Anyway, we were filming this collab video. He's going to help me get started on Youtube." Dan said.

"You can do it Dan. You've wanted to be a Youtuber for so long. I remember you talking about it when we were friends before." PJ said. Dan smiled. "People on Youtube are going to love you." PJ said. He smiled. "You and Phil are practically the same person. If they love Phil, then they'll definitely love you." He said.

"I never thought about it like that. We are definitely practically the same person." Dan said. He sighed. "I just don't want to take the spotlight away from Phil. He works so hard on his videos." Dan said. "Besides, who'll want to watch a 16 year complain about why they hate the world?" Dan asked. PJ chuckled.

"I'm sure you'll figure something out." He said. "Come on." They walked out of the movies. PJ pulled out his phone when he felt it vibrating in his pocket. He stopped walking and pulled it out. Dan also stopped walking and looked over at PJ. PJ sighed and looked at Dan. "Chris just text me. He says he needs to talk to me." PJ said. "I'm sorry, I have to go." PJ said. "But I promise we'll finish this tomorrow." PJ said. Dan laughed.

"Peej, don't worry about it." He said. PJ smiled and gave him a hug.

"Thank you." PJ said. Dan hugged him back.

"Call me later." Dan said when they pulled away from the hug. PJ nodded. Dan smiled as he watched PJ walk away. Dan pulled out his phone and called Phil.

"Hey!" Phil said when he answered his phone. Dan smiled.

"Hey Phil. PJ had to go and I'm still at the movies. Can you come pick me up?" Dan asked.

"Of course. I'll be there in like 20 minutes." Phil said.

"Okay, thanks. I love you, bye." Dan said.

"Bye!" Phil said. They hung up on each other. Dan sighed and sat down on the ground.

PJ quickly made his way towards Chris's house. He didn't know what was going on but he knew that it couldn't be good.

"Chris?" PJ called as he walked into Chris's house.

"It's about time." Chris said as he walked down the hallway. PJ looked at him.

"I told you I was hanging out with Dan. Neither of us drive so we had to walk." He said.

"I could have picked you up." Chris said. PJ rolled his eyes.

"Now you tell me that." He said. Chris laughed. He walked over to PJ and gave him a kiss. PJ smiled. "So, what's going on?"

"Fucking Alex and Charlie." Chris said. "They're such idiots. They're trying to get me to break up with you." Chris said. PJ froze. "I was talking with them earlier and they kept telling me that you weren't good enough for me and how I deserved so much better than you." PJ took a deep breath as he looked at Chris.

"What…What did you say to them?" PJ asked nervously.

"I told them to fuck off." Chris said. PJ raised his eyebrows.

"Typical, Chris." He said. Chris let out a laugh.

"Hey, no one messes with my relationship." He said. "Alex and Charlie may be my best friends but if they even think about trying to ruin us…"

"Don't do anything stupid." PJ said. "I don't want you to get in trouble, Chris." He said. Chris sighed.

"But, anyways, don't worry…I didn't believe anything that they said." Chris said. He grabbed a hold of PJ's hand. PJ stared at him. "I know that you are good enough for me and I don't want anyone else but you." He said. PJ blushed. Chris smiled. "I'm going to take care of them. Don't worry about them, okay?" Chris said. PJ nodded. "I just wanted to warn you about what they were doing in case they tried to say the same thing to you." Chris said. PJ sighed.

"I knew they didn't like me but I didn't think they hated me that much to ruin our relationship." He said.

"Like I said, don't even worry about them. I'll take care of them." Chris said. He sighed. PJ nodded. "Sorry I ruined your little date night with Dan." Chris said as he looked at PJ. PJ rolled his eyes. Chris laughed at him.

"It wasn't a date!" PJ claimed. He hit Chris playfully. Chris grabbed his hand again. PJ smiled as he looked at him. "Anyways, you didn't ruin it. We just finished watching the movie. We were going to grab dinner but that's it."

"Sounds like it was a date to me." Chris said. PJ sighed.

"You're so annoying sometimes." He said. Chris smiled innocently.

"You still love me." He said. PJ looked at him.

"I still don't know why I do sometimes." He said. Chris laughed. He pulled PJ into the living room and they sat down on the couch. PJ turned so that he was now facing Chris. He bit his lip as he looked at him. "So, what do you think of Dan now?" PJ asked. Chris blinked a few times as he looked at him.

"What do you mean?" He asked. PJ looked back at him.

"I mean…What do you think of him? Do you still hate him?" He asked.

"Of course not." He said. "We talked about that. Whatever happened in the past is in the past."

"When did you two talk?" PJ asked, a little surprised.

"Uh…Like two or three weeks ago." Chris said. "It wasn't a very long conversation but it was a conversation." He said. "It was weird talking to him alone."

"Maybe talking to him alone was for the best." He said.

"Mm. Maybe." Chris said. "It definitely wasn't a bad conversation." He said. "Dan wasn't lying when he said that he hadn't changed. He still is the dorky kid we used to know." Chris said. PJ laughed at him.

"Well, I'm glad you guys don't hate each other anymore." He said.

"It was tiring hating on someone for so long." Chris joked. PJ laughed.

"Oh shut up." He said. Chris looked at him and smiled.

"I'm just kidding." He said. "It wasn't tiring." PJ looked at him.

"I'm glad we're all friends with each other, even with Phil. At first I thought Phil hated me but I guess not." PJ said.

"It's just weird hanging out with him again." Chris said. PJ nodded. "It's been four years since we've hung out with each other. I spent all those years hating on him and beating up on him." He said. "It's all thanks to you that I don't think like I used to." Chris said. PJ smiled. "Which, I guess, is a good thing?" Chris wrapped his arm around PJ and pulled him closer. PJ cuddled up closer to him. He looked up at him.

"Well, I'm proud of you." PJ said. Chris laughed.

"Thanks babe." He said. PJ reached up and kissed him.


End file.
